So, this is my life.

Three Months: What are must haves, dos, and things you can forget about, VOL 1

Y’all; I’ve been a mom for THREE MONTHS! How did the time go by so fast? I wanted to check in and write a post. This post is dedicated to new moms or new moms to be that aren’t sure about what to get for their baby. Here’s what I’ve learned in the three months since Emmaline came into the world. (I will update periodically).

MUST DO: BABY PHOTOS AND VIDEOS

– We invested in a baby’s first year photo package. I know it’s expensive, but trust me– it’s definitely worth it. We love watching her grow with professional photos. And listen, y’all- my husband is a professional photographer. And he still says this is a must, because time flies fast and it’s good to be in the “parents in the photo” mode

– Take lots and lots of pictures. Lots. From the get go, I had a goal of taking a photo a day. Sometimes it’s with the good camera, sometimes it’s my iphone, but either way– take a photo a day. Set up a reminder. You will be shocked at how much your little one grows every day

– PRINT THOSE PHOTOS: don’t let them go to live forever on your phone or in the cloud! I print a batch every 4 weeks so I can see how she’s grown and put them into albums for grandparents and for us

– TAKE VIDEOS: I started doing little videos because she did cute things, like make little sounds in her sleep– and I’m so thankful that I did that, because if I hadn’t, I would have missed it forever, because one day she just stopped doing it. I try to take a video of every new thing or thing that amuses me, from the first time she started babbling away to the time she rolled over— I try to get as much on video as possible.

ERR ON THE SIDE OF CRAZY OBSESSIVE TOO MUCH– you can never have too many photos or video of your little bit.

MUST DO: KEEP TRACK OF MILESTONES

I have fallen behind on this, so I really want to stress it — try to take a note every day of something you noticed, something new, how you felt. I didn’t start doing it until late, and I regret that

DON’T DO: BUY LOTS OF “outfits”

– I admit, I am the WORST at going crazy at Carter’s or Baby’s R Us, but the reality is your kid is going to wear onesies every day for a long time, and will probably go through multiple onesies in a day, and it’s going to be insane. All of those cute outfits (ruffly things with lace, ahem) for the fresh hatched babes– they are going to sit, unused , in the closets.

MUST DO: Buy lots of onesies, footed PJ’s, and socks

WE go through about two to three onesies a day. Buy lots of them. Don’t buy “circo” brand because they shrink. My favorites are Carter’s and Old Navy. I have about 10 different ones and it makes me feel like I am dressing her up when I change it because she pooped all over it. Footed PJ’s are adorable. Get them, Feeling like you can dress your baby up for “night” fashion makes you less upset about the lack of dressing in fancy outfits. There’s time for that later. Trust me.

Socks: They dissapear, their feet freeze up easily– lots of these. You can get different colors and feel like you are going crazy buying stuff for fun.

DON’T DO: Buy bath towels and hooded things

I went crazy on the hooded towels and towels and robes and stuff like that. Like CRAZY…. but I used them for like 2 weeks and then just went to regular old fashioned towels. They are cute, but not an essential. Maybe get one or two to get your cute pictures and then pass. They sell some in three packs. I’d just get one three pack and then move on.

DO BUY: Bath Stuff Galore

I got a duck that told me the temperature, and that’s awesome– I wish I had gotten this, a super cool spout cover because the Duck is a little off, and i could see the temperature coming out of the faucet. Temperature is super important!

I would recommend getting a variety of SMALL, SAMPLE SIZED baby washes. We use different ones for different applications. Emmaline was born with a full mop of hair, so we use one thing for “shampoo” (California Baby Calming Baby Wash) and one for body wash (Burt’s Bee’s) and we tried Angel Baby and some other products and they either had a gross smell, or didn’t go great with her body. Get a variety of lotions too. Remember to err on the side of hypoallergenic.

Our favorites:

For hair and for smell: California Baby

PROS: it smells awesome. CONS: it’s a little bit drying– so it’s great for the hair, which gets really greasy and dirty, but not for body